


Out Of The Woods

by AsagiStilinski



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Abominable Snowman Stiles Stilinski, Alive Laura Hale, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe- Werewolves are still a thing, Christmas, Fluff, Hurt Derek Hale, Hurt Stiles Stilinski, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-13 12:36:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12984219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: When Derek finds a naked man laying in the snow- one who doesn't smell human and who has a hunter's arrow in his back- he immediately takes him back to his family's vacation cabin, he wasn't sure what he was expecting when his sister said she could identify the stranger's species, but he had to admit, "Yeti" probably was nowhere NEAR the top of the list





	Out Of The Woods

**Author's Note:**

> One more to go before my last peice for 12 Days Of Sterek!! I really need to write yeti!Stiles more, I love that trope

Derek loved winter

He loved the cool air, the soft scents, the cheer and celebration...

Even though the holiday season made him feel more lonely and melancholy than the rest of the year, missing and mourning his family harder than any other season, he still loved the winter

Especially due to the family tradition of going up to the mountains and celebrating Christmas there

They always stayed in a magnificent cabin resort for the last two weeks of December, when he was younger they used to decorate the cabin too, but after the fire most of their decorations were lost and these days it was a slow process getting things back to any symbalance of normalcy

Laura tried but there was only so much she could do in a few years, especially since her siblings were, admittedly, not much help

Derek was too depressed and Cora was too irritable and although their feelings had definitely improved over the years, they still weren't exactly in the "Decorate until you drop" mindset yet

But regardless, Derek was just happy to be out in the mountains again

The cold air felt great against his thick coat of fur, and even though the pads of his paws were a bit chilled, the cold was no match for his intense body heat

He was just out for a run through the woods, getting used to the area, when suddenly he was struck by the scent of blood...

Anxiety suddenly flooded through him and he picked up speed, practically racing through the trees towards the scent

He could hear a heart beating, slow and faint, and labored breathing up ahead, whoever or whatever was bleeding, the injury was clearly more than just a flesh wound

He finally arrived in a crowd of trees where the scent was strongest, and there, laying in the snow, was a man with an arrow in his back

He had dark chesnut hair, pale, mole-dotted skin, and... and he was completely naked

Shifting into human form, the werewolf made his best effort not to look anywhere he shouldn't, and gently picked up the injured man, rushing back to the cabin as quickly as he possibly could

 

~+~

 

"Well, what do we do with him?"

"There's not much we CAN do until Laura gets back and identifies him, he definitely doesn't smell human but... I can't recognize what he is,"

Cora hummed quietly, tilting her head and staring at the boy currently inhabiting their couch

Derek had dressed him in some of his spare clothes and wrapped him up in blankets, turned on the fire....

But he wasn't getting any better, in fact, if anything, he seemed to be getting worse

"He's burning up," Cora frowned, leaning over and dragging her fingers across his forehead

"Shouldn't he be cold from being out in the snow like that?"

"He should be, but maybe he has high body heat like us, werewolves aren't the only creatures that run hot," Derek mentioned with a shrug

"I guess..." she muttered, sighing loudly and stepping back towards Derek

"Of all times for Laura to have gone down to the village.... she'd be able to identify this kid..."

"Maybe, but we have to be prepared for the fact that she might not, Laura may be more experienced than I am but I've still memorized alot of scents Cora, and this guy doesn't come CLOSE to anything I've picked up before, she may not know what he is either, and if that's the case-"

"We'll have to get rid of him,"

"What!? No! I was going to say we'll have to take him to a specialist! We aren't going to 'get rid of him', he had an ARROW in his back, a HUNTER'S arrow, he's one of us!"

Cora only shrugged, and although Derek definitely understood her hesitation about strangers- he was hesitant about them too- she had an even harder time trusting anyone new than he did...

"I'm going to make soup, he'll need something warm to eat when he wakes up, you keep watching him," he said a second later, starting off towards the kitchen

"Don't you mean _if_ he wakes up?"

The older wolf paused, giving his sister a deeply disapproving look

"Don't look at me like that, I just don't want you getting your hopes up for something that may not happen, I don't want to watch you go through the baby squirrel thing again,"

Derek huffed in frustration, wrinkling his nose

He wished she would stop bringing up that stupid squirrel.....

"I'm making soup," he repeated with a huff, turning for the kitchen again, only to hear the door open and spin around quickly, relieved to see his older sister standing in the doorway

"I came as soon as I could, the roads are kind of blocked, is that him on the couch?"

"No, we found another naked boy in the woods suffering from an arrow wound, the first one already woke up and is taking a bath upstairs," Cora snorted back

"The sarcasm can really take a hike," Laura frowned back, setting her bags by the door and striding over to the couch, head tilted as she stared at the pale creature laying unconscious before them

He was still sickly pale, but there was now a red tint to his cheeks, likely from the high fever, and it was making Derek's anxiety sky-rocket

"I don't believe this..." Laura murmured under her breath, drawing her brother's attention back to the present

"What? What is it?"

"I recognize this scent, it's no wonder the two of you didn't though... he's a yeti,"

"A yeti?" Derek asked skeptically

"Are you serious? Laura, yetis don't live in California, they can't exist in a climate like this, it's too warm,"

"Well I'm telling you, he's a yeti, it doesn't mean he lives here, we ARE in the mountains though, maybe he's on vacation,"

"Technically there are some areas of Cali that he could live in year-round, just not very many," Cora provided

"Look, none of this matters right now, what's important is getting him healed, it's no wonder he's feverish, he's too hot, we need to get him outside in the snow where he can cool down and heal," Laura explained, already taking the blanket off of the stranger and starting to peel his shirt off

"I'll take him," Derek offered immediately, stepping closer to the couch

"You sure?"

"Positive, what do I need to do?"

"Burry him in the snow, once he cools down he should start to heal and from there he should wake up, it may take a wile though,"

"Not a problem," Derek promised, gently lifting him up and cradling him close, tightening his grip on the yeti and glancing down at his face

He looked so soft and peacefull, despite the obvious sickness plaguing him, it broke Derek's heart...

"Oh and little brother?"

Derek glanced up, tilting his head curiously at his sister

"His pants have to go too,"

....

Ofcourse they do

 

~+~

 

A loud, desperate gasping sound came from the snow, startling Derek from his stupor and causing the wolf to jump up

He had been out here in the snow for probably an hour now and had gotten so cold and tired that he had just decided to curl up in his wolf form next to the cooling yeti and take a nap

Now ofcourse, however, he had been jerked out of his sleep by the yeti in the snow, and he was quite anxious to see if the creature was alright or not

"Oh God... I feel like I got hit by a truck..." the boy groaned, lifting his hand up to start rubbing at his face

Derek moved a little bit closer, sniffing at him, trying to get a sense of his vitals, but apparently he wasn't expecting to wake up and see a wolf so close by, considering the fact that the moment he caught sight of Derek's face...

He screamed

_Loudly_

 

~+~

 

"Look um... I'm really, really greatfull that you guys rescued me, _seriously_ , but... I need to go home, tommorrow is Christmas Eve, my dad is waiting for me,"

"We aren't keeping you here against your will, but the roads are too blocked by snow, there's no way we can drive you ... pretty much anywhere at this moment," Laura said gently

"You don't need to drive me, I'm a yeti, I can walk," the yeti insisted with a deep frown

"But you were shot by a hunter, that means there are hunters in the area, you were already spotted and hurt once, you can't tell me it's a good idea to go out there in your shifted form AGAIN,"

"What does it matter!? It's my life! If I want to risk it I should be able to!"

"Except that if you do that then you'll put US at risk too," Cora frowned

"She's right, if they're hunting out here they aren't going to stop at just a yeti, they'll be searching everywhere for our kind," Laura added a second later

The yeti frowned- deeply, and narrowed his eyes

"I'm not going to be held captive here, I appreciate what you did, seriously, but I'm going home to see my dad and you aren't going to stop me,"

The wolves exchanged looks, concern and hesitation amidst their glances, before Derek decided to speak up

"Atleast stay for an hour, ok? So we can determine the safest way to get you home?"

The yeti was quiet for a moment, eyes shifting between the three of them, before leaning back on the couch and nodding slowly

"Ok," he relented

"An hour, but that's it,"

"Deal," Derek agreed

It wasn't much, but atleast it was a little time to figure out what their next move was

Derek only hoped all of this could be settled peacefully....

 

~+~

 

"You aren't seriously considering letting him go out there in full form are you?" Cora asked immediately

"No, no I'm not,"

"Then what ARE you considering?"

"Cora let him speak," Laura said softly

"Maybe I can walk with him in human form, I've always loved hiking, and maybe he isn't that far from home," Derek suggested with a shrug

"Derek... that's really sweet, but you can't really think you're going to walk through this snow in human form do you? Not to mention the yeti..."

"If he lives close by enough then maybe it won't be a big deal, you know that I love hiking,"

"I don't know Derek.... this just doesn't seem like a good idea..." Laura said softly

"Let me atleast ask him where he lives, what's the harm in finding out?"

The sisters exchanged looks again, Cora shaking her head slowly in disapproval, before Laura gave a quiet sigh and turned her attention back to her brother

"Alright, find out where he lives, if he lives close by enough.... then you can go, but I'm warning you Derek, you are NOT putting yourself behind a stranger, understand? If it looks dangerous, you come back here, and I don't care what he has to say about it, got it?"

"Yes," he said quietly

He hated having to listen to Laura sometimes, but she was the Alpha... he couldn't really say no

"And, I want you to take a cell phone with you just in case, don't you DARE lose it, got it?"

"Got it," he agreed, making a move to leave the kitchen, only for Laura to hold her arm out and stop him, eyebrows raised and frown tight against her face

"Derek, I know the look on your face,"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about ... please, just be carefull, ok?"

Derek wasn't sure what she was talking about exactly, but he nodded, heading back into the living room to talk to the yeti

 

~+~

 

As it so happened, the yeti's name was Stiles, and he actually didn't live that far away from the cabins- thank God

Laura reluctantly agreed to let them go, and Derek leant Stiles some clothes, just a red hoodie, jeans, and- with some reluctance- underwear

Stiles had insisted on going barefoot, and Derek hadn't argued

He understood that different species needed different things, and as someone with naturally high body heat himself, he definitely understood the occassional need to be in as little clothing as possible

He could only imagine what it was like for a yeti

But regardless, here they were, making their way through the woods to get to Stiles' home before Christmas Eve

....

He hoped

"So what happened?"

The silence was kind of killing him and Stiles looked uncomfortable, plus, he had been wondering what exactly had happened to the yeti ever since he found him

"Mm, classic story, I decide to go for a walk in my true form, you know, stretch the fur a little, and some jacknut with a bow and arrow decides it's open season on the yeti-folk, I don't know if it was a real hunter or just some wannabe who thought he'd make a quick buck selling my corpse to the news outlets but the arrow hurt like hell, I managed to stumble away and went down a few hills but I passed out and shifted back to human form before I could get anywhere safe, I'm lucky you found me, seriously,"

"I tend to agree with that, it isn't like my sisters and I are up here year-round,"

Stiles paused, head tilted innocently

"You aren't?"

"No, we only come up once a year, we usually live in Beacon Hills,"

Stiles' eyes lit up, grinning with excitement

"Dude, **I** live in Beacon Hills! My dad and I are just up here in the mountains for vacation!"

This time, it was Derek's turn to pause, confusion clear on his face

"Beacon Hills? But.... how do you live down there? It's so warm year-round..."

"Yeah it's .... not easy, I have to come up to the mountains every weekend, I have a walk-in freezer at home and I always spend like.... a STUPID amount of money on air-conditioning, I overheat WAY easy so I try to avoid spending time outside... I mean, I'm not gonna lie, it's a HUGE pain in the neck, so it's a major releif that most of my freinds run hot too, mostly werewolves, but there's a werecoyote too, my non-werewolf freinds always have to bring a jacket when they go anywhere with me wich is less fun for them, but, you know, a medical concern for me,"

"That sounds like more than just a pain... why do you bother going through all of that instead of just moving to a better climate?" Derek asked in confusion

"My dad is the sheriff of Beacon Hills, I can't stand the thought of leaving him or asking him to give that up to move someplace where he'll never get a break from the cold.... that wouldn't be fair to him,"

"I don't think he'd mind, you're his son,"

Stiles shrugged again, and although Derek kind of wanted to talk to him more about the ... insanity... that was his living condition, he also understood

He'd never want to inconvenience his sisters, and the idea of being away from them had a pit of anxiety forming in his stomach

He could understand how Stiles felt

"So I take it your father isn't a yeti?"

"Yeah, he's just a good ol' human, the yeti genes come from my mom's side, what about you? Full wolf or what?"

"Same as you actually, wolf genes from my mom, human from my dad,"

Stiles nodded as well, and things went silent again

"I can't believe it's already this dark," he added a second later, glancing up at the sky and heaving a loud huff

"Well, it IS December, and it's pretty far north,"

"I know but I just... it's so weird you know? I mean I feel like it was just summer a few days ago, time is passing WAY too quickly lately,"

"I can agree to that," Derek chuckled back

He had just been saying the same thing to his sisters, actually

"You really think we'll be able to get back to my dad tonight?"

"I know it," Derek promised

Though, the moment the words were out of his mouth, he heard a twig snap in the distance, holding his arm out suddenly to stop Stiles from going any further and feeling his heartbeat starting to accelerate

"Did you hear that?" He wisepred

"The twig? Yeah..."

They were silent, both focusing on hearing what was in the distance

"People... _hunters_..." Derek snarled under his breath

"How many do you hear?"

"Five, five heartbeats, you?"

"I can't hear heartbeats, I trust you... what do we do now?"

"We run, as quietly as we can,"

With a quick nod from Stiles, the two of them took off into the woods, trying their hardest to be quiet as they raced through the trees

But it wasn't enough

Derek wasn't sure if they had been seen or heard or both, but in no time they were being chased by a hail of arrows and bullets, and with the bear winter trees and the starkness of the snow, there was no way to hide or blend in with nature

"This isn't enough! We can't run forever, we have a natural advantage that we need to exploit!" Stiles shouted over the sound of the guns firing

And no matter how much Derek wanted to protest, no matter how badly he wished he could deny it...

Stiles was right

They only had one advantage, they needed to use it, even if it was offense and not defense

"You're right," Derek said quietly, pausing suddenly and turning on his heel, eyes glowing, teeth bared, and features shifting

Stiles let out a low roar beside him, his eyes turning an even brighter, lighter blue than Derek's, his teeth were longer and bulkier, as were his claws, and his hair was starting to turn silver

"Full shift, you'll be faster, sleeker, _better_ ,"

Upon hearing his words, Derek realized that that was exactly what Stiles was doing, pulling off his clothes quickly as he dodged fire, hair going from silver to white and starting to grow all over his body

But Derek was hesitant

He didn't have as much experience fully shifted as he did in his beta form and he wasn't sure if it was the best idea

He heard a louder, fuller roar, and knew that Stiles had finished his transformation, he didn't have time to contemplate any further, instead he just launched himself forward, scratching and clawing at anyone he could see

He did his best to disarm his enemies, trying no to hurt any of them too badly, but Stiles wasn't being nearly as carefull

He was _enormous_ in his full form, easily eight feet tall, and he didn't have a problem simply plucking weapons away and smacking hunters into trees

Derek was so distracted, unfortunately, that he completely missed the shot being taken at his flank until the moment of impact

A yelp of pain shot out of his throat as the agony ruptured in his side, wich caused Stiles to turn his attention towards the wolf

"I'm fine!! I'm fine! Keep going!" he shouted, not wanting the yeti to make the same mistake he had and get distracted like he had

Stiles took his advice, thankfully, and started by grabbing the hunter who had shot Derek and tearing his gun away from him before dropping him on the ground

Derek decided that his new freind may just have been right about full shifting before, and, deciding there was nothing to lose at this point, he shucked off his clothes and shifted as well, his once human form taking the shape of a massive black wolf

His size didn't even come close to comparing to Stiles', ofcourse, but atleast it was better than the hunters

Between the two of them the hunters didn't last long, Stiles crushed their weapons into bits and peices and did most of the heavy lifting, wile Derek guarded his back and launched in where needed

Now that the fighting was over though, the pain was really starting to get to him

The bullet wasn't infused with Woflsbane, but it had SOMETHING packed into it that was making him feel sick and preventing him from healing

He just didn't know what it was....

"Hey, Derek? You ok?" he heard, turning his head and seeing that Stiles had already shifted down again

He wanted to shift back, to say he was fine, but he was already getting dizzy and starting to stumble, he couldn't see straight, much less shift

"Derek...? Derek are you ok..?"

The wolf stepped forward, but he couldn't take it any longer and ultimately dropped to the ground, eyes starting to close as he panted and huffed

His mind was going blank, everything was fuzzy, he couldn't hold on any longer...

_"DEREK!!!???"_

That was the last thing he heard, then it was just... silence

Silence and nothing more

 

~+~

 

Derek groaned lowly, eyes squeezing tightly as he shifted around, trying to gain his bearings

"Hey.... Derek? You awake?"

The wolf cracked his eyes open, staring up and finding a set of beautifull copper eyes staring back at him

"St-...Stiles...?"

"Hey! You're awake! You feeling ok there buddy?"

Derek nodded slowly, even though his head was pounding, he knew from experience that that would fade soon though

"You've been out for a wile, I was getting worried,"

A wile....?

"How long was I out?" he asked immediately, sitting up and glancing around the room

He was still in a cabin, just not his own, and judging by the scent he would guess it was the one Stiles was staying in

Stiles... who was sitting barely inches away from him, looking incredibly relieved

"Um, several hours, it's well past midnight now, guess that finally answers the age old question of what happens to a werewolf when they're hit with Winter Aconite, packs a pretty powerfull punch,"

"Winter Aconite...? Isn't that a breed of Wolfsbane?"

"Actually, no, it's a breed of Buttercup, it's just called that for ... something to do with where it grows, can't remember what,"

...

Well, the more you know...

"Fascinating.... you said it's after midnight?"

"Yeah, like... three in the morning,"

"I need to call my sisters, they're probably worried sick," he frowned, only then remembering that he had taken off his clothes when he shifted....

Meaning his phone, wich was in his pants' pocket at the time, was probably covered in snow and thus long dead by now...

"Don't worry about that, I already called them and explained everything, they're coming up in the morning, once the sun is up and they don't have to worry about traveling at night,"

That took Derek by surprise, not only due to the question of how Stiles had Laura's number, but also just ... how considerate that was of Stiles

It was nice, to put it simply, and Derek wasn't really used to strangers being nice

"You ... do you have my phone?" he asked in confusion

"Yeah, I collected your clothes after you passed out and carried them here with you, they were pretty wet and cold though so I gave you some of my dad's to wear after you shifted back,"

Derek glanced down at the cozy sweater and sweat pants he was wearing, realizing he hadn't even noticed the different clothes until Stiles mentioned them

...

He must still be feeling sick

"Thank you for all of that... really,"

"Just repaying the favor, you rescued me first, remember?"

"Still," Derek muttered back, shrugging and shifting on the couch again, eyes averting down to the blanket that Stiles had so kindly wrapped around him

"You aren't used to people being, you know, DECENT, to you, are you?"

"I guess not,"

Derek wasn't sure what to expect after admitting that, but it sure as hell wasn't what actually happened

Namely: Stiles moving closer in order to actually sit down on the couch next to Derek and gently placing a hand over the wolf's

"Well, that's about to change, so get used to it,"

"And... how is that about to change exactly?" Derek asked in confusion

"You don't really think that after all of this I'm just gonna give you back to your sisters tommorrow and call it a day do you?"

_Give him back?_

What was he?

A cat?

"Dude, we saved eachother's lives, that's special!! You don't really think we're just.... not gonna ever see eachother again do you?"

"I.... honestly hadn't really thought about it..."

Part him had probably just assumed, but consciously he really hadn't put any thought into it...

"Well, we're not going to do that, you and I are freinds for life now, especially with the 'living in Beacon Hills' thing, the supernatural community in that hellmouth has GOT to stick together,"

"I ... actually agree with you on that one,"

"Good, that's progress, but uh... in the mean time, it's like... three in the morning, and we should probably sleep, let me take you upstairs and show you to the spare room,"

Derek wasn't sure why they HAD a spare room, why hadn't they just gotten a two-bedroom?

But then maybe there had been a mix-up and they only had bigger cabins left

The opposite had happened at Derek's, they had requested a three-bedroom and ended up with a two-bedroom by mistake

He decided not to dwell on it, sliding off of the couch and wincing at the ache in his bones as he started to follow Stiles up the stairs

"Sorry about the soreness, that should be gone by morning, the Winter Aconite is kinda hard to flush out,"

"Don't worry about it," he shrugged back

Getting further up the stairs, he could start to make out the soft, steady breathing and calm heartbeat of another person down the hall, Stiles' father, he was sure

"You sure your dad is ok with this?"

"Yeah, absolutely, he's just happy you saved my life, he doesn't mind you staying the night,"

Derek gave a non-committed nod, arriving at the top of the stairs and following Stiles down the hall

"Well ... here we are, your very own guest room, make yourself comfortable, sorry it's kinda small,"

"Don't worry, it's only for one night anyway, I've had much worse,"

Stiles looked.... oddly put off by that

"Right.... just one night..."

Derek tilted his head, eyes narrowing in confusion

"Unless.... you wanted me to stay longer...?"

"No no, I mean.... you have family, you know, probably... lots of stuff you have to do and.... stuff..."

Was.... was he hinting at...?

"Not really, no, it's just my sisters and I now, we... don't do as much as we used to," he explained, shuffling just a bit closer to the paler man in front of him

"I could ask my sisters if they wouldn't mind staying here through Christmas, if you don't mind it, I'm still pretty exhausted and sore, not sure how well I'll hold up in the snow trying to make my way back to the cabin tommorrow,"

"Really? Well, I mean, if that's what you need to stay safe and healthy then I'm all for it, I'm sure my dad won't mind,"

"Talk to him first though,"

"I will, I will, I definitely will,"

Derek wasn't sure if the yeti was just lonely- highly possible, considering the circumstances- or if, for some reason he didn't understand, he actually LIKED Derek, but...

But Derek liked _him_ and he knew better than to kick a gift horse in the mouth

"I'll see you in the morning then, I guess, um... goodnight?"

The wolf smiled warmly, reaching out to take Stiles' wrist- gently, as gently as he could, so Stiles would know Derek wasn't trapping him here- and leaning closer to give him a soft, barely-there, kiss on the lips

"Goodnight," he promised back

Stiles looked... frozen

As if he didn't know what had just happened

Kind of the same way Derek imagined would computers look when they froze, you know, if they had faces

"Stiles...?"

And then, not a moment later, the yeti suddenly had his hands on Derek's chest and was slowly pushing them inside the bedroom

"C'mon, I need to learn more about you man, the night is still young, we can talk for a wile right?"

Stiles had the door shut behind him before he was even finished speaking, but Derek didn't care

Actually, he thought the enthusiasm was kind of charming

"Right," he agreed, smiling fondly at the yeti

Derek had a feeling that Stiles had been right earlier

They were DEFINITELY going to be seeing alot more of eachother in the future


End file.
